Hair piece and method of forming and attaching

ABSTRACT

A hair piece and a method of forming and attaching the same to the head of the user in which a base ring is formed directly on the head of the user which is intertwined with the hair of the user of the hair piece adjacent the hair line and to which base ring the base member of the hair piece is attached and to which base member wefts of hair-like material are attached in distributed relation. The hair piece may include a frontal island member attached to the base ring and to the base member and to which wefts of hair-like material are also attached.

11] 3,871,389 Mar. 18, 1975 United States Patent [1 1 Bauer HAIR PIECE AND METHOD OF FORM I NG AND ATTACHING Primary Examiner-G. E. McNeil] Attorney, Agent, or Firm-John A. Young 22 Filed:

[57] ABSTRACT A hair piece and a method of forming and attaching the same to the head of the user in which a base ring [52] US. Cl. 132/53 is formed directly on the head of the user which is [51] Int. A4lg 3/00 tertwined with the hair of the user of the hair piece [58] Field Of 132/8, 53, 54 adjacent the hairline and to which base ring the base member of the hair piece is attached and to which [56] base member wefts of hair-like material are attached References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS in distributed relation. The hair piece may include a 415,104 frontal island member attached to the base ring and to 2,621,663

the base member and to which wefts of hair-like material are also attached.

Jenkins 15 Claims, 9 Drawing Figures PATENTED 31975 3,871 .389

SHEET 1 o 2 l v WMWWKEWWWW HAIR PIECE AND METHOD OF FORMING AND ATTACHING The present invention relates to hair pieces, and is particularly concerned with the type that is more or less permanently attached to the head of the user and to a method of constructing and attaching such hair pieces.

Hair pieces are, of course, known and are of many styles. One style of hair piece, and the style of which the present invention is particulaily concerned, is that type which is attached to the head of the user and which remains in place for a prolonged period of time. Such hair pieces are convenient and provide a more natural appearance than other types of hair pieces but problems have always existed in connection with making a proper attachment of such a hair piece to the head so that it can be worn at all times and even shampooed and styled directly on the head of the user. Such hair pieces, furthermore, occasionally require adjustment and the like and permanently attached hair pieces of the prior art and of the nature referred to have always presented problems in this respect.

With the foregoing in mind, a primary objective of the present invention is the provision of a fixedly mounted hair piece and a method of making and attaching such a hair piece which overcomes the problems and disadvantages heretofore encountered in respect of such articles.

A further object of the present invention is the provision of a hair piece adapted for permanent mounting on the head of the user which presents a more natural appearance than has heretofore been possible to achieve.

A still further object of the present invention is the provision of a hair piece for permanent attachment to the head of the user which can readily be adjusted and tightened up on the head of the user when necessary.

Still another object of the present invention is the provision of a method of making and'attaching hair pieces of the nature referred to in which superior results are obtained.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, a base ring is formed on the head of the user by intertwining the hair adjacent the hairline of the user with heavy threads that extend in a closed path around the head so that the base ring forms a member of substantial body which is tightly and firmly attached to the users head by the users own hair.

The base ring is preferably reinforced by stitching around the base ring in a direction transverse to the longitudinal axis thereof and this makes the base ring more solid and also tends firmly to pull the base ring down against the head of the user and to anchor it in place.

To this base ring there is then stitched a base member, preferably a strong thin fabric, which extends over the region of the users head to be covered by the hair piece. To the base member, there is stitched wefts of hair-like material, which may consist of real hair or artificial hair, or a combination thereof. These wefts are stitched to the base member in distributed relation, with one series thereof extending substantially completely around the base ring and others thereof having at least one end secured to the base ring or one end secured to another weft which has one end secured to the base ring.

In certain cases, the provision of the base ring and the base member and wefts of hair connected thereto are adequate to cover the head, but in other cases, where frontal hair is missing, for example, it may be necessary to provide an added island piece extending over the frontal portion of the head and at the rear edge stitched to the base ring. To this island member other wefts of hair are connected in distributed relation and provide coverage for the frontal portion of the head. The island member is preferably reinforced with integral stays so that it lies snugly over the frontal portion of the head.

The foregoing objects as well as still further objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent upon reference to the following detailed specification taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a head showing a base ring for a hair piece mounted thereon.

FIGS. 2, 3, 4 and 5 show the forming of the base ring on the head.

FIG. 6 shows a base, or foundation, member for a hair piece attached to the base ring which, for the sake of clarity, is not shown in attached position.

FIG. 7 shows how wefts of hair are attached to the 'base ring.

FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of an island member forming a frontal member for a hair piece.

' FIG. 9 is a section on line 9-9 of FIG. 8.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION FIGS. 1 through 5 show more or less in detail the forming of the base ring on the users head. In FIG. 1, the head is indicated generally at 10, with the hairline generally indicated by dashed line 12.

The base ring is formed by taking a group of strong threads 14 (see FIGS. 3 and 4) which are knotted together at one end as at 16, and then parting the hair along a line 18 adjacent to but spaced from the aforementioned hairline 12. The base ring is to be made up in the aforementioned part line. The base ring is formed by intertwining the three threads 14 with hair drawn into and around the threads from both sides of part line 18. The base ring can follow whatever irregular contour is dictated by the hairline l2 and thus the hair piece will conform to the area which is intended to be covered.

Because the base ring is anchored directly to existing hairs and fastened throughout its length, except where the head may be lacking in frontal hair, the base ring is anchored reliably and firmly in a semi-permanent position on the hair.

The base ring enables snug coverage of any selected head portion with an artificial head covering, which is semi-permanently held in place and without lifting.

In time, of course, since the live hairs which are secured to the base ring will undergo normal growth and elongate, it is necessary that the base ring be tightened, i.e. moved downwardly toward the root and scalp in order to keep the hair piece from lifting away from the head.

The intertwining of the hair with the threads 14 proceeds around the head until a complete and endless base ring, indicated at 20, is formed about the head. in regions where there is insufficient hair along the part line to give the base ring body, as, for example, across the frontal portion of the head, loose hair or artificial hair can be intertwined with the threads of the base ring.

After the base ring is completely formed in place on the head, it is then wrapped with further thread as by using a hook-shaped needle, shown at 22 in FIG. 5. The

thread connected to the hook-shaped needle wraps around the base ring and gives the base ring body and solidity and also firmly attaches the base ring to the hair with which it is intertwined and, furthermore, pulls the base ring tight down against the head.

Where the head is lacking in frontal hair, the base ring is drawn across the upper portion of the head near the front end, as indicated at 24 in FIG. 1, and is not directly attached to the head. However, since the base ring is convex away from the head in this region, it is nevertheless firmly held down against the top of the head by the connection of the ends of portion 24 to the hair of the head at the sides.

After the base ring 20 has been formed on the head and secured thereto by the stitching wrapped around the base ring, fabric base piece is then applied which is stitched along the edges to the base ring. Such a fabric base member is indicated at 26 in FIG. 6 and the stitching 28 along the periphery of base member 26 secures it to the base ring 20. The head and hair are not shown in FIG. 6.

The first wefts of hair which are secured to the base member 26 are secured to the periphery thereof and are also simultaneously stitched to base ring 20 as shown in FIG. 7. The wefts of hair are schematically indicated at 30 and the support strips 34 pertaining thereto are connected to base ring 20 and to the base member 26 by circular stitching 32. As schematically illustrated in FIG. 7, each support strip 34 pertaining to a weft of hair overlaps the next adjacent support strip 34 so that by proceeding around the base ring 20 from one end of the front portion 24 thereof to the other end of frontal portion 24 thereof a complete series of wefts of hair will be attached to the base ring and base member 26.

Further wefts of hair are then connected to the base ring in distributed relation as indicated by the dashed lines 36 in FIG. 6. These wefts may be in overlapping relation and each one thereof either has one end secured to the base ring 20, or has one end overlapping the support strip ofa weft of hair, at least the other end of which is connected to the base ring. In this manner, the wefts of hair will be distributed over the entire area of base member 26 and all thereof taking an anchor from the base ring 20 directly or indirectly.

Where there is frontal hair and there is no frontal portion 24 on the base ring corresponding to what is shown in FIGS. 1 andd 6, the wefts can be connected to the base ring completely around the head. However, where there is an absence of frontal hair, it is desirable to provide an additional island member connected to front portion 24 of the base ring and extending over the frontal portion of the head. Such an island member is indicated generally in dot-dash outline at 38 in FIG. 1.

A typical island member of this nature is shown in exploded perspective in FIG. 8 and will be seen to comprise a base fabric member 40, a covering fabric member 42, and stiffening ribs, or straps, 44 adapted for being received between members 40 and 42. When the members 40 and 42 and the stiffening ribs are assembled, stitching, as indicated by the dashed lines 46 on member 40 in FIG. 8 are employed for interconnecting the members and for locking the stiffening straps 44 in place.

The sectional view in FIG. 9 schematically illustrates the stiffening members and the interconnecting of the top and bottom members 40 and 42. When these members are so interconnected to form the island member, the island member is stitched across the back edge thereof to portion 24 of the base ring. This stitching can also be accomplished by the use of circular stitching. When the island member is so connected to the base ring, and the stiffening members 44 are curved to conform to the contour of the head, the island member will remain snugly against the head at all times.

Wefts of hair are now stitched to the island member 4 and preferably each weft is either directly anchored on the portion 24 of the base ring, or is anchored on another weft member which is, in turn, anchored on at least one end of the portion 24 of the base ring.

When an artificial head covering is constructed in accordance with the foregoing description and following the described method, a natural looking head covering is obtained and one which is securely fastened to the head and which can remain thereon through all normal activities.

Periodically, the hair to which the head covering is attached will grow out somewhat and the base ring 20 will be somewhat loose on the head. When this occurs, the base ring, and the wefts of hair connected directly thereto, are disconnected from the head and a new base ring is then formed on the head and is securely fixed to the hair by the circular stitching illustrated and described in connection with FIG. 5 of the drawings.

Thereafter, the removed wefts of hair are replaced on the base ring and the base member 26 with the wefts of hair already connected thereto can be replaced and connected to the newly formed base ring. Further, the island area with the wefts of hair thereon can again be replaced and there will be little, or no change in the appearance of the user. The artificial head covering, however, will now again be firmly connected to the hair on the head.

In the normal course of events, it may be as much as two months before it is necessary to tighten up a head covering according to the present invention and the time involved is minimal, amounting to only about 1 or 2 hours of work by a skilled operator.

All of the materials employed are selected to resist deterioration of any sort due to moisture, and the like. Nylon, for example, can be employed for the fabric and the threads. Other synthetic materials can also be used. Although the present invention has been illustrated and described in accordance with a single example embodiment it is understood that this is illustrative of the invention and is by no means restrictive thereof. It is reasonable to be expected that those skilled in this art can make numerous revisions and adaptations and it is intended that such revisions and adaptations will be included within the scope of the following claims as equivalents of the invention.

What is claimed is:

l. The method of mounting a hair piece on a head which comprises: securing a base ring to live hairs around the hair line surrounding that portion of the head intended to be covered, securing the margin of a flexible textile-like support member to said base ring, attaching first wefts of hair-like material to the base ring, and attaching second wefts of hair-like material to said support member in distributed relation thereon.

2. The method according to claim 1 in which the ends of at least said first wefts are in overlapping relation.

3. The method according to claim 1 in which at least one end of each of said wefts is in overlapping relation with another of said wefts.

4. The method according to claim 1 in which said base ring is formed of a plurality of threads entwined with the hair on the head.

5. The method according to claim 1 which includes parting the hair near the hair line, placing a plurality of threads in coextensive relation along the part with the threads knotted together at one end, progressively intertwining hair from opposite sides of said part with said threads commencing at the knotted end of the threads until a closed base ring is formed on the head, and entwining hair-like material with said threads across the frontal region of the head if necessary to add body to the ring where natural hair is absent from the head.

6. The method according to claim 1 which includes the following further steps for tightening the hair piece on the head when the hair on the head has grown a predetermined amount after mounting of the hair piece, said further steps comprising; removing said first wefts, removing said base ring, forming a new base ring intertwined with the hair on the head and closely adjacent the head, stitching said support member to the newly formed base ring, and stitching said first wefts to said base ring.

7. The method according to claim 5 which includes wrapping a thread around said base ring in a direction perpendicular to the length of the base ring after the formation of the base ring to secure the base ring tightly to the hair entwined therewith and to pull the base ring snugly against the head.

8. The method according to claim 5 which includes forming an island member of textile-like material and adapted to overly the frontal portion of the head in front of the base ring, and stitching the rearward edge of said island member to the region of the base ring which is adjacent thereto, and stitching wefts of hairlike material to said island member.

9. The method according to claim 8 which includes forming said island member from a pair of superimposed teXtile-like elements, inserting straps between said elements in a general front to back direction, and stitching the said elements together while confining the straps to predetermined positions therebetween.

10. A hair piece adapted to be secured directly to the head of the user and comprising: a base ring intertwined with live hairs on the head adjacent the hair line and following the contours of the hair line, a textile-like support member conforming to the head in the area thereof intended to be covered and enclosed by the base ring and stitched along the margin to said base ring, wefts of hair-like material stitched to said support member in distributed relation, and additional wefts secured to said base ring in overlapping relation with the wefts stitched to said support member.

11. A hair piece according to claim 10 which includes an island member stitched at the rear edge to the front part of said base ring and overlying the frontal portion of the head, and wefts of hair-like material stitiched to said island member in distributed relation.

12. A hair piece according to claim 11 in which said base ring comprises a plurality of threads in coextensive relation intertwined with the hair on the users head.

13. A hair piece according to claim 11 in which said island member comprises a base element, a net-like top element, and straps captive between said elements, said straps being operable to hold said island member snugly against the head.

14. A hair piece according to claim 11 which includes a thread wrap around said base ring to hold the base ring tightly on the hair entwined therewith and snugly against the head.

15. A hair piece according to claim 11 which includes hair-like material intertwined with the threads of said'base ring in any region of the head having no hair whereby the body of said base ring is substantially the same at all points therealong. 

1. The method of mounting a hair piece on a head which comprises: securing a base ring to live hairs around the hair line surrounding that portion of the head intended to be covered, securing the margin of a flexible textile-like support member to said base ring, attaching first wefts of hair-like material to the base ring, and attaching second wefts of hair-like material to said support member in distributed relation thereon.
 2. The method according to claim 1 in which the ends of at least said first wefts are in overlapping relation.
 3. The method according to claim 1 in which at least one end of each of said wefts is in overlapping relation with another of said wefts.
 4. The method according to claim 1 in which said base ring is formed of a plurality of threads entwined with the hair on the head.
 5. The method according to claim 1 which includes parting the hair near the hair line, placing a plurality of threads in coextensive relation along the part with the threads knotted together at one end, progressively intertwining hair from opposite sides of said part with said threads commencing at the knotted end of the threads until a closed base ring is formed on the head, and entwining hair-like material with said threads across the frontal region of the head if necessary to add body to the ring where natural hair is absent from the head.
 6. The method according to claim 1 which includes the following further steps for tightening tHe hair piece on the head when the hair on the head has grown a predetermined amount after mounting of the hair piece, said further steps comprising; removing said first wefts, removing said base ring, forming a new base ring intertwined with the hair on the head and closely adjacent the head, stitching said support member to the newly formed base ring, and stitching said first wefts to said base ring.
 7. The method according to claim 5 which includes wrapping a thread around said base ring in a direction perpendicular to the length of the base ring after the formation of the base ring to secure the base ring tightly to the hair entwined therewith and to pull the base ring snugly against the head.
 8. The method according to claim 5 which includes forming an island member of textile-like material and adapted to overly the frontal portion of the head in front of the base ring, and stitching the rearward edge of said island member to the region of the base ring which is adjacent thereto, and stitching wefts of hair-like material to said island member.
 9. The method according to claim 8 which includes forming said island member from a pair of superimposed textile-like elements, inserting straps between said elements in a general front to back direction, and stitching the said elements together while confining the straps to predetermined positions therebetween.
 10. A hair piece adapted to be secured directly to the head of the user and comprising: a base ring intertwined with live hairs on the head adjacent the hair line and following the contours of the hair line, a textile-like support member conforming to the head in the area thereof intended to be covered and enclosed by the base ring and stitched along the margin to said base ring, wefts of hair-like material stitched to said support member in distributed relation, and additional wefts secured to said base ring in overlapping relation with the wefts stitched to said support member.
 11. A hair piece according to claim 10 which includes an island member stitched at the rear edge to the front part of said base ring and overlying the frontal portion of the head, and wefts of hair-like material stitiched to said island member in distributed relation.
 12. A hair piece according to claim 11 in which said base ring comprises a plurality of threads in coextensive relation intertwined with the hair on the user''s head.
 13. A hair piece according to claim 11 in which said island member comprises a base element, a net-like top element, and straps captive between said elements, said straps being operable to hold said island member snugly against the head.
 14. A hair piece according to claim 11 which includes a thread wrap around said base ring to hold the base ring tightly on the hair entwined therewith and snugly against the head.
 15. A hair piece according to claim 11 which includes hair-like material intertwined with the threads of said base ring in any region of the head having no hair whereby the body of said base ring is substantially the same at all points therealong. 